CBI arrests key suspect in connection with the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar
Sachin Prakasrao Andure was allegedly one of the shooters who fired at Dabholkar when he was killed in Pune on August 20, 2013.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday arrested a man identified as Sachin Prakasrao Andure in connection with the 2013 murder of rationalist and author Narendra Dabholkar, reported PTI. A CBI spokesperson said that Andure was held from Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
According to the CBI, Andure was allegedly one of the shooters who fired at Dabholkar when he was out for his morning walk in Pune on August 20, 2013, reported NDTV.
Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court criticised the CBI for the slow investigation into his murder. The court also voiced its concern to the Special Investigation Team probing the murder of rationalist Govind Pansare, who was killed in Kolhapur in February 2015. The court refused to accept the status report filed by the two agencies, and criticised them for constantly submitting similar reports.
In June, the court criticised officials from the CBI and the Maharashtra government for conducting an “unsatisfactory inquiry” into the two murders and observed that investigations have not been “conducted sincerely”.
Before his murder, Dabholkar had tried to get a law against superstition and black magic enacted in the state of Maharashtra. The Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Ordinance Bill was passed soon after he was killed.